Toe guard for ice skates



Nov. 24,1931. c. l. JOHNSON 1,332,856

TOE GUARD FOR ICE SKATES Filed Aug. 11, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l amen W01,

CHARLES I. Tm/-50 attozmq 5 Nov. 24, 1931. c. I. JOHNSON 1,832,866

TOE GUARD FOR ICE SKATES Filed Aug. 11, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gwuentov Patented Nov. 24, 1931 UNITED OFFICE CHARLES I. eonnson, or enema, imam; assren'qn To fissrcn ronason finiii FAOTURI'NG comm oonronarion or runners ens germs roe me am ap lication he segue 11, 1986: seen in; 475419;

This invention relates to toe guards for shoes and more particularly for shoes which are attached to ice skates in order to protect the toes and adjacent portions of the foot of the player from blows or other impacts when playing the rough and strenuous game of hockey. V The guard is in the form of a cap to' fi over the toe of the shoe, and may be applied eitherwhile the shoe is attached to the skate, or at the time of securing the shoe and the skate together when the outfit is being assembled.- I

In my co-pending application, Serial No. 365,379, filed May 23, 1929, I disclose a toe guard made of sheet metalor other relatively rigid and stiff material. This guard while it served the purpose very well, is subject to the objection that it is not resilient enough to absorb a blow and prevent the, impact/from being felt by the foot of-theplayer. Moreover such guard,vespecifally when made of metal, is likely to chafe the portion of the shoe over which it is applied with the result that the soft leather of which the shoe is usually made is damaged. Furthermore,,a color if applied to the metal guard must be put on the guard in the form ofa coating and theiadhesionbetween the colored coat and the metal is notsufiicient to prevent checking or cracking of the color coat when repeatedly struck by a hockey stick or puck. A metal guard being stiff and rigid will not give with the foot of the player. and if clamped too tightly against the shoe is likely to causedis'comfort to the player. The object of my invention is to provide a guard which will overcome the objections referred to, and in carrying out this object I make the guard of a moldable material of a character. which while afiording s'ufiicient protection from a blow of a hockey stick or puck, will have sufficient resiliency or cushion to absorb the blow and thus not transmit it with any discomforting effect to the toe ofthe player. I prefer to make the guard of molded rubber,-eitl1er hard or semi-hard,- and-have it thick enough to affordthe protection required. The guard is provided with means preferably in the form of angularly shaped metal. lugs Wherebytheg'uaidmay be at= tached by riveting either to the sole of the shoe or the sole plate of the skate; or to both. The guardmay be molded to theshape required tofit over the toe portion of the shoe,

and ma be made of asize to merely cover the toe portion of the shoe,-o1'" it be made larger so as to extend the protection up and over the instep, as well as alongrthe side por tions of-the shoe,- back over the ball of the foot on. the inside and otter the little toe on the outside. The guard can also be perf= forated so as to reduce its weight, although itcan be made without perforations, if desired.- Vith a guard madeof moldable H1811 ter1al,-thep1gment required to color the guard whenever a color is required, can be incor por'ated directly in the material,- and thus will not check or ship off when the guard is struck: by the stick or puck:-

The invention consistsfurtherv the, matters hereinafter described and claimed:

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side view of an attached shoe and ice skate with a guard of my invention applied ove'r the toe portion of the shoe;

Fig-2' is an enlarged vertical-sectional view takenon line22 of Fig: l;

- Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the toe portion of ,the shoe showing the guard thereon I Fig. 4, is a botto fijpla'n view of the guard removed from the shoe; and 1 f Fig. is a View similar to that of Fig. 1 showing; a guard of a larger size so s s-to extend. the protection up and over theinstep, and well alongtheopposite sides of the shoe;

In the drawings, 1 indie-ates a tubular ice skatev of the hockey type? 2 indicates the regulation shoe which is attached by riveting to the sole and heel plates 3, 4: of the skate:

, The toe guard or proteotorof my invention is made of moldable material, such as tubber. either -.hard or semi-hard, and is shaped to fit in the-manner of acap over thegtoeportion of the shoe.

The guard has integrally connected top and marginal-walls 5-, 6. The margirialwall 6 is curved to fit about the rounded from end of the toe of the shoe, and also extend along the side portions of thesho at thetoe when Cir the guard is applied to the shoe. The top wall 5 extends rearward from the marginal wall over the upper portion of the shoe at the toe, and is suitably curved to conform to the contour of the toe portion of the shoe as shown in Figs. 1 to 3. The guard in its marginal top Walls may be perforated with holes 7, 7 to reduce weight, and thus make the guard a relatively light fixture, so that when applied to the shoe, it will not add any appreciable weight to the skate.

Theguard is provided with a plurality of inwardly extending members 8, 8 at its lower edge to be inserted between the sole plate 3 of the skate and the sole 9 of the shoe as shown in Fig.2. The members 8, 8 are flat so that they may lie between the sole of the shoe and the sole plate of the skate, and are preferably rigidly secured to both by rivets 10, 10, one for each member as shown in Fig. 2. The members 8, 8 are located at the sides as well as at the front of the guard, so as to hold both portions from displacement with respect to the shoe and the skate when the guard is secured in place. The members 8 are preferably made of metal bent into angular form, and secured by rivets 11, 11 to the marginal wall 6 of the guard. The members 8 preferably lie on the inside of the guard, so that their lower inwardly extending portions need not be made long enough to extend under the lower edge of the guard, as would be the case should they be secured to the outer side of the guard. Moreover, with the members 8 on the inside of the guard, the

outside of the guard is free of projections, and thus may have its outer surface made symmetrical to improve the appearance of the fixture.

The top wall 5 is slit or severed at its center as at 12 with the sides of the slit diverging from the marginal wall 6 so that the two sections of the top wall provided by the slit may be drawn toward each other to adjust the guard to the size and shape of the shoe with which it is used. To accomplish this, I provide an eyelet or opening 13 in each top wall section, and thread the lace 14 of the shoe through the eyelets, so as to draw the guard over the top of the shoe, and have it fit the same, as well as hold it firmly in place. A separate lace or cord could be used for this purpose if desired, thus freeing the lace of the shoe from this duty, and thus permitting the guard to be applied and removed from the shoe Without the necessity of removing the lace of the shoe, should the members 8, 8 of the guard have a removable connection between the sole of the shoe and the sole plate of the skate.

In Figs. 1 to 4, I have shown the guard of a size and shape to merely fit over the toe por- "tion of the shoe. In Fig. 5 I have shown a guard 15 made larger, so as to extend the protection afit'orded by the guard up and over the instep of the shoe, and also well along the sides of the shoe to cover the ball of the foot on one side and the little toe on the opposite side. In this form the side portions of the guard extend either back to or beyond vided with a row of eyelet openings 18, 18 1' on opposite sides of the slit to receive the lace 19 of the shoe in the same manner as the smaller guard heretofore described.

The marginal and top walls of the guard are made thick and rigid enough to afford w the protection required. Being of moldable material, the guard may be molded from rubber either hard or semi-hard and thus give the guard suificient resiliency or cushion to absorb the blows to which the guard is sub- 3 jected in the game of hockey. Thus these blows will not be transmitted to the foot of the player, as is likely to occur when the guard is made of metal. lVith a moldable material, such as rubber, the guard also possesses suilicient yieldability in its wall structure to give with the foot of the wearer and thus avoid chafing and injury to the portion of the shoe encompassed or covered by the guard. The guard being light in weight will not add any burden to the foot of the player. \Vith the guard made of a moldable material, the guard may be colored'by incorporating the pigment desired in the material of which the guard is made, and thus the color will not crack or chip off when the guard is struck by a hockey stick or puck, or when coming into contact with other OlJJQCtS.

lhe guard may also be used with shoes attached to skates other than the tubular type, 3

and I do no wish to be limited to the application of my invention to any particular type of skate or any particular form of shoe that may be used therewith.

The details of structure shown and described may be variously changed and modilied without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a skate and a shoe attached thereto, of a guard fitting over the toe portion of the shoe to protect the same, said guard being made of moldable resilient non-metallic material.

2. The combination with a skate and a shoe attached thereto, of a guard fitting over the toe portion of the shoe to protect the same, said guard being made of molded rubber.

3. The combinaion with a skate and a shoe attached thereto, of a guard fitting over the toe portion of the shoe to protect the same, said guard being made of a moldable resilient non-metallic material, and means carried by the guard, and fitting between the sole of the shoe and the sole plate of the skate.

4:. The combination with a skate and a shoe attached thereto, of a guard fitting over the toe portion of the shoe to protect the same,

said guard being made of a moldable material and having a marginal Wall and a top wall, the latter being slit, so that the guard may fit shoes of different types and shapes.

5. The combination with a skate and a shoe attached thereto, of a guard fitting over the V toe portion of the shoe to protect the same,

said guard being made of a moldable material and having a marginal wall and a top wall, said top wall being slit so that the guard may fit shoes of different types and shapes, said top wall having openings therein on opposite sides of the slit wherein a lace or cord may engage with the guard to draw it over the shoe.

6. The combination with a skate and a shoe attached thereto, of a guard fitting over the toe portion of the shoe to protect the same,

said guard being made of a moldable resilient non-metallic material, members secured to the guard and extending inward therefrom to engage between the sole of the shoe and the sole plate of the skate.

7. The combination with a skate and a shoe attached thereto, of a guard fitting over the toe portion of the shoe to protect the same, said guard being made of a moldable material and angularly shaped metal members secured to the guard on the inside thereof, and having portions extending inward from the guard to fit between the sole of the shoe and the sole plates of the skate.

8. A toe guard for shoes made of moldable resilient non-metallic material, and having a top wall and a marginal wall, and angularly shaped members riveted to the marginal wall, and having portions extending inward therefrom at the lower edge of the guard.

9. The combination with a skate and a shoe attached thereto, of a guard fitting over the forward portion of the shoe to protect the same, said guard having a top wall and a marginal wall, the top wall extending up and over the instep of the shoe and the side walls extending well along the sides of the shoe to protect the ball of the foot on the one side and the little toe on the opposite side.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

CHARLES I. JOHNSON. 

